Prosecutors Seek Life Sentence for Man in His 30s for Abandoning Body at Dumulmeori

Exchanged text messages while pretending to be the victim after the crime
"Truly apologize... Will atone for life," defendant's final statement
Bereaved family: "Unable to hold a funeral, suffering every day"

Prosecutors have sought life imprisonment for a man in his 30s who is accused of killing an acquaintance he lived with in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul earlier this year and abandoning the body at Dumulmeori in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province.

At the sentencing hearing held on the afternoon of June 23 at the Criminal Division 14 of the Seoul Northern District Court (presiding judge Oh Byunghee), prosecutors requested the court to sentence the defendant, identified by the surname Sung, to life in prison on charges of murder and abandonment of a body. Prosecutors also asked the court to impose additional requirements, including a 20-year electronic monitoring device order and mandatory completion of a treatment program.

Prosecutors noted that after the crime, Sung exchanged text messages with the victim's mother while pretending to be the victim, stating, "These conversations reveal the defendant's malicious intent, the pain of the victim's bereaved family, and the unfairness suffered by the victim."

In his final statement, Sung said, "I sincerely bow my head and apologize to the victim and the victim's beloved family," adding, "I will spend the rest of my life atoning for my actions."

The victim's older brother, identified as Mr. A, was given an opportunity to speak and petitioned the court to impose a severe punishment on the defendant. Mr. A stated, "The defendant is weighing his sentence with the absurd claim to an acquaintance in the detention center that he has confessed everything and will receive leniency. He is not truly remorseful." He continued, "We have not yet found my brother's remains, so we have not been able to hold a funeral and are living each day in pain. I earnestly request the heaviest punishment allowed by law."

Sung was indicted on charges of assaulting and strangling to death a man in his 30s, identified by the surname Lee, a housemate, at his residence in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, at around 3:34 p.m. on January 14. He is also accused of moving the victim's body to the back seat of a rental car in the building's underground parking lot immediately after the crime and abandoning it on the banks of the Namhan River at Dumulmeori in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province. The two had reportedly known each other for about two years, having worked together in motorcycle delivery services.

The sentencing is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. on July 23.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.